Volume 9 | July-December 2018
ISKCON Sannyasa Ministry Newsletter
Srila Prabhupada on “What is a Sannyasi?”
“If one takes up the sannyasa
order of life but is not able to
control the mind, he will think of
objects of sense gratification -
namely family, society,
expensive house, etc. Even
though he goes to the Himalayas
or the forest, his mind will
continue thinking of the objects
of sense gratification. In this
way, gradually one's intelligence will be affected. When
intelligence is affected, one loses his original taste for
Krishna consciousness.”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.22.30, Purport)
From the Sannyasa Minister:
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Welcome to the 9th Sannyasa Ministry Newsletter. In this Broadcasting the
newsletter there is an article on the meaning of sannyasa by Message
Kripamoya Dasa, who is a leader and senior teacher of New Sannyasis 2018
Krishna consciousness in the UK. We also congratulate two
devotees who accepted the sannyasa order of life and we 2018 Sannyasa
give our appreciation to 20 sannyasa candidates who did Missions
missions around the world from India, to Europe to South Sannyasi Profile:
America. Also included in this newsletter is a profile of a Bhakti Prabhava
very active sannyasi, Bhakti Prabhava Swami. Swami
Website:
Your servant, www.sannyasacandidates.com
Prahladananda Swami Email (Secretary):
brajsunderdas@gmail.com
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PROFILE: BHAKTI
PRABHAVA SWAMI
His Holiness Bhakti Prabhava Swami, born
in Brussels in Belgium, in 1960, met
devotees in Ghent in the summer of 1992.
From 1992 to 1996 he was active in Nama
Hatta preaching in Ghent (Flanders), and
joined the Radhadesh temple in 1996. In
1994 he met His Holiness Bhakti Charu
Swami who accepted him as his disciple and
gave him first initiation on 12 March 1998
and second initiation on 25 August 1999. On
the 31st of May 2015 he was awarded
sannyasa initiation by His Holiness Bhakti
Charu Swami. Right after his first initiation
he became the first secretary for the newly
formed European RGB. He organised the
first European Leaders Meetings (ELM) and
went on several missions for the European
RGB. In 2004 His Holiness Bhakti Prabhava
Swami was requested to become to
Secretary for the Global GBC Body and the
Secretary for the GBC Executive Committee.
He fulfilled that role until September 2009.
During that period he attended all GBC meetings and all GBC mid-year meetings. He organised
the first GBC midyear meeting held at Prabhupadesh in Italy in October 6-9, 2006.
In 2004, he opened a new ISKCON centre in Brussels, and from 1999 to 2004 he served as legal
director for New Mayapura in France. In March 2006 he received a Global Excellence Aware for
“Acting in the Interest of ISKCON”.
From 1996 to 2007 he engaged in management of the Radhadesh projects, mainly taking care of
supervising the administration, tax defense and legal matters as Chartered Accountant. He also
served as chartered accountant, legal director, trustee, teacher and student in the Bhaktivedanta
College.
Maharaja studied at the University of Wales from 2004 to 2016, and earned a PhD in the Study of
Religion in June 2016. He also graduated for studies in Bhakti Sastri (MI) , Bhaktivaibhava
(VIHE) and Bhaktivedanta (VIHE) engaged in from 2001 to 2011. Since 2012. Maharaja is serving
as Bhakti Sastri and Bhaktivaibhava teacher in Leicester (UK), presently conducting on-line
teaching programmes for the College of Vedic Studies.
Bhakti Prabhava Swami is also a member of the ISKCON Board for Examination, and a member of
the Ministry for Sannysa. He has been preaching internationally since 1996, presenting seminars
and lectures in Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland,
Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Ireland, Scotland, England , and Northern Ireland.
He is also serving as siksa-guru for many devotees in ISKCON. At present he is acting as Temple
President for ISKCON Belfast in Northern Ireland.
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Sannyasa for Broadcasting the Message
By Kripamoya Dasa
Adoption of the sannyasa path does represent a spiritual step forward. It provides a
dramatically altered lifestyle in which a desired radical change is most likely to be brought
about. Sannyasa signifies a man’s complete withdrawal from the affairs of the world, along
with his sense of control and personal power over his environment. It is achieved by placing
all his life – even the food he eats - solely in the charity of strangers and the support of the
natural world. Placing his future in the hands of the Divine, it is a facility for a man’s
consciousness to change before the end of his life.
However, true renunciation of the world is a level of consciousness that arises within oneself,
and it takes place whenever one has realised the flickering nature of worldly happiness. Such a
level of consciousness is not limited by any external factor, and so the spirit of sannyasa can
arise whatever the material circumstances in one’s life. Once having understood the true
nature of the world a person can continue to work in a spirit of detachment. This is the
consciousness of the true sannyasi, as explained by Shri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita:
"The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned men call
the renounced order of life (sannyasa). And giving up the results of all activities is what the
wise call renunciation (tyaga)." (Bhagavad-gita 18.2)
The entire dialogue of the Bhagavad-gita takes place because Arjuna wants to abandon his life
as a warrior, arguing that it will be a spiritually superior choice to fighting. Shri Krishna
stresses that even something as mundane as fighting done in a spirit of genuine detachment is
a superior path. The consciousness behind the action, and not the action itself, is the measure
of the morality. Therefore, although Krishna is the original creator of the sannyasa order of
life, He argues that it is the type of consciousness that makes the detached sannyasi and not
the robes, the homeless wandering and the begging bowl.
This does not mean that all the scriptural prescriptions for the sannyasi are made irrelevant
by the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, but it does mean that the spirit of sannyasa life can also
be had if one, in any condition of life, ‘gives up activities based on material desire’ and acts
completely without selfish interest. Since selfish interest is bypassed whenever one acts to
serve the Supreme, acts of divine service, or bhakti-yoga, result in elevated states of God-
consciousness. This level of spiritual consciousness - the very opposite of the ordinary self-
consciousness induced by bodily identification - is the perfection of renunciation of the world
and hence the factual supreme goal of the sannyasi.
The Vaishnava accepts that everything within the universe is owned and controlled by Vishnu,
or God, and that he cannot renounce anything because it never belonged to him. Renunciation
for the Vaishnava is not, therefore, the giving up of something, but the full comprehension of
its owner, the renunciation of the tendency to enjoy that object, and the return of the object to
the owner by offering it in divine service. The conclusion of this line of thought is that the pure
Vaishnava is the true sannyasi, whatever stage of life he might be in.
The Goswamis of Vrindavan made these theological points very clear. Rupa Goswami wrote as
follows: “Not being attached to anything yet properly using everything in relation to Krishna is
yukta-vairagya, renunciation suitable for bhakti. Renunciation, by persons desiring liberation,
of items related to God, considering them material, is called phalgu-vairagya (insignificant
and worthless renunciation)”
Four hundred years later, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur created his mission for
widely broadcasting the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Goswamis. Accordingly,
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when he published his newspaper, The Gaudiya, he featured two Bengali verses of his own
composition alongside Rupa Goswami’s yukta/phalgu maxim on the header of each
newspaper. Translated, his verses read as follows:
“All sense objects which are used without personal attachment and in relation to Krishna are
non-different from Krishna. It is a mistake to reject anything suitable for serving Krishna,
considering it an object of sense gratification.”
So although he’d created a missionary movement led by celibate monks, he nevertheless
employed everything possible in the service of preaching his gospel. Although sadhus
traditionally walked from village to village, slept under trees, and didn’t mix with worldly men,
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta had his missionaries living in cities, sometimes in apartments or
spacious temples; and even had them using cars for transport as they went to visit important
men in the city. In Calcutta he even had a river launch, a steamship, and dressed his followers
in tailored shirts and overcoats, presenting themselves with visiting cards to big businessmen.
His followers even went so far as to present kirtan on the BBC radio using traditional Indian
instruments and a European piano. He was prepared to do whatever was required to facilitate
the spiritual awakening of others – even when it seemed to contradict standard behaviour for
holy men.
When he sent disciples to London in 1933 he cautioned them about not appearing unkempt,
because people in London were: “...hasty to judge a person by his external appearance.” Even
at home in British-ruled Calcutta he wore a London-made, Savile Row overcoat and explained:
“I have to go various places for propagating Hari-katha, so I must present myself as a learned
and decent gentleman; otherwise non-devotees will not give me their time.”
When questioned about all these innovations to the traditional life of Indian holy men and
whether it wasn’t all a step too far, he remarked: “It depends on the capacity of the individual.”
He reasoned that if everything belongs to Krishna, then everything can be used to serve
Krishna. And since spreading the message of Krishna is the best service to Him, there should
be no question of not utilizing everything possible in the preaching mission.
But he recognised the risk in allowing his followers who were not free from selfish desires
contact with money, buildings, vehicles, and worldly men – and their wives; and he cautioned
them: “not to become entrapped in the deceitfulness of subtle enjoyment, and thus while
ostensibly performing Hari-seva actually become inimical to it.”
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2018 Sannyasa Missions
Devotee Mission Traveling with Mentor
Bhaktipada Dasa Romania Moscow / Moldova
Ekalavya Dasa Ministry Service Poland
Pushpalila Shyam Dasa - Jagannatha Puri
Raghava Pandita Dasa Ghana, Togo, Ivory Coast India
Priti Vardhana Dasa Ministry Service Coimbatore, South India
Navadvipa Dwija
- Odissa & Bengal
Gauranga Dasa
Vrindavana Candra Dasa Myanmar India
Asim Krishna Dasa Suriname & Guyana Vrindavana
Sundarlal Dasa - Paris & London
Venudhari Dasa Ghana Vrindavana
Kamal Locan Dasa Peru & Bolivia -
Radha Shyamsundara
Patna Mauritius
Dasa
Vanamali Dasa - Nairobi, West Africa, India
Vishvavasu Dasa - Germany
Sankarshan Nitai Dasa Ghana Bulgaria
Luxembourg, Belgium &
Sutapa Dasa France
Germany
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-Devotee Mission Traveling with Mentor
Gopendra Dasa India Padayatra India
Adhoksaja Dasa - Russia
Govindananda Dasa Gujarat. Nepal Myanmar, Thailand
New Sannyasis 2018
In March 2018,
Ananda Vardhana
Dasa accepted the
order of sannyasa in
Sri Vrindavana
Dham from His
Holiness Bhakti
Vijnana Goswami.
His new sannyasa
name is: Ananda
Vardhana Swami.
In Septembar 2018,
Adi Purusha Dasa
accepted the order
of sannyasa at
ISKCON Ujjain
Temple from His
Holiness Bhakti
Charu Swami. His
new sannyasa name
is: Bhakti Dayita Adi
Purush Swami.
